The country entrusted me to buy an aircraft carrier, Hou Liangping, do you dare to investigate?

"Calm down? How can you expect me to calm down?!" Hou Liangping abruptly shook off Zhong Xiaoai's hand, clutched his head, and squatted on the ground in anguish. Zhao Ruilong's escape had completely severed the case's leads, rendering all his previous efforts futile. What he found even more unacceptable was that the person who reported him was none other than Zhao Ruilong, the very person he had been trying to capture!

"Damn it, it was him! That bastard!" Hou Liangping slammed his fist on the ground, breaking his fingernails and drawing blood, but he was completely oblivious.

He suddenly realized that Zhao Ruilong was the key to the whole thing! The reason Zhao Ruilong dared to report him by name was because he was fearless and might have already planned his escape route. And he, Hou Liangping, was merely a pawn used by Zhao Ruilong, a tool for him to evade legal punishment!

"No, that's not right!" Hou Liangping suddenly looked up, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. Would Zhao Ruilong really expose himself so easily? He was the kind of person who could even drag Gao Yuliang down with him; his cunning was evident. How could he so easily put himself in such a dangerous situation? Unless... unless there was an even bigger conspiracy behind this!

Thinking of this, Hou Liangping suddenly stood up and said with a firm look in his eyes, "Xiao Ai, I know what to do. I'm staying to continue the investigation!"

Zhong Xiaoai was startled by his words. She never expected that Hou Liangping would insist on continuing the investigation under these circumstances. She grabbed Hou Liangping's arm and said urgently, "Are you crazy?! Zhao Ruilong has already escaped, what are you still investigating? Now that you've been transferred back, can't you just come back to Beijing with me and rest for a while?"

"Rest?" Hou Liangping sneered. "If I go back now, it'll be like admitting I have a problem! What will those people think of me? What will they think of my family?"

"But……"

"No buts!" Hou Liangping interrupted her, saying decisively, "Zhao Ruilong is just a decoy; the real mastermind is Huang Feipeng! I'm going to wipe them all out!"

"Snapped!"

A crisp slap echoed through the empty street. Zhong Xiaoai covered her face, staring at Hou Liangping in disbelief.

"You...you hit me?"

"This slap was meant to wake you up!" Hou Liangping looked at Zhong Xiaoai's swollen cheek, feeling a pang of regret, but the words were already out, so he could only grit his teeth and continue, "Do you know how much effort I put into getting you out of Handong? And what do you do? The first thing you do when you get back is continue investigating. Do you even respect those people up there?"

"I……"

"Let me tell you, Huang Feipeng ran away a long time ago, on the very night the Anti-Corruption Bureau caught fire! The situation in Handong is now beyond our control!" Zhong Xiaoai shouted, her eyes red.

Hou Liangping was stunned. He hadn't expected that Huang Feipeng would also run away!

Looking at the woman before him who had given everything for him, he was filled with guilt and gratitude. He knew that Zhong Xiaoai was right; Handong had become a huge whirlpool, and if one was not careful, it would be swallowed up without a trace.

"Xiao Ai..." Hou Liangping pulled Zhong Xiao Ai into his arms, his voice low and deep, "I'm sorry, I was too impulsive and made you worry..."

Zhong Xiaoai leaned on his shoulder, feeling the warmth of his chest, and finally couldn't hold back her tears.

Zhong Xiaoai gently stroked Hou Liangping's back, as if comforting a wounded beast. "Liangping, I know you're upset, but now is not the time to act rashly. Staying here will only alert the enemy and won't help."

Hou Liangping held Zhong Xiaoai tightly, as if he wanted to meld her into his own body. He understood this principle, of course, but the thought of Zhao Ruilong and Huang Feipeng going unpunished left him with a lump in his throat, unable to let it go.

"Xiao Ai, are we just going to stand by and watch them get away? What about those they hurt, the justice they trampled on? Were they just sacrificed in vain?" Hou Liangping's voice was hoarse and low, filled with helplessness and resentment.

Zhong Xiaoai cupped Hou Liangping's face in her hands, looked him straight into his eyes, and said firmly, "Of course not! They will have to pay back their debts sooner or later! But Liangping, you have to believe me, now is not the time for the final battle. If you stay here, you will only become their sitting duck. Go back to the capital, recuperate, and then we can find their weaknesses and wipe them out in one fell swoop!"

Zhong Xiaoai's words were like a bolt of lightning, cleaving through the clouds of confusion in Hou Liangping's heart. Yes, he was going back now not to admit defeat, but to gather strength and await the next thunderous counterattack!

"Alright! I'll listen to you, we're going back to the capital!" Hou Liangping took a deep breath, his eyes sharpening once more. He wanted to go back; he wanted to make those demons and monsters lurking in the shadows pay the price they deserved!

Upon returning to the capital, Hou Liangping's first action was to have the authorities issue an arrest warrant for Huang Feipeng. He knew this was only the first step, and a negligible one at that. Huang Feipeng was as cunning as a fox and had undoubtedly made thorough preparations; capturing him would be an impossible task.

Zhong Xiaoai took a deep breath. She knew that if she didn't make things clear, this stubborn man in front of her wouldn't give up. "Liangping, listen to me. The waters in Handong are very deep now, much deeper than we imagined."

"I know that Zhao Ruilong is backed by Huang Feipeng, and Huang Feipeng has even more powerful connections!" Hou Liangping gritted his teeth, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked. "But Xiao Ai, we can't just let this go! Those who died unjustly, those whose dignity was trampled upon by corrupt officials—were they sacrificed in vain?!"

Zhong Xiaoai shook her head and said with a bitter smile, "I know you can't swallow this, but the situation is beyond our control now. Secretary Ji... something happened to him."

"What?!" Hou Liangping exclaimed in shock. "What happened to Secretary Ji?!"

Zhong Xiaoai lowered her voice and said in a heavy tone, "Duan Yi, you should know him, right? Another deputy director of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. He made his move and took control of all of Secretary Ji's people. Now the entire Commission for Discipline Inspection is under his control."

"Duan Yi?! Why would he do this? Could it be that he..." Hou Liangping stared wide-eyed in disbelief, a terrifying thought flashing through his mind.

Zhong Xiaoai nodded, confirming his guess: "That's right, Duan Yi and Huang Feipeng are in cahoots. They've been working together for a long time! The reason why Secretary Ji stumbled this time is because the investigation led to Huang Feipeng."

Hou Liangping felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head. He finally realized that he and Zhong Xiaoai had always underestimated their opponent's strength.